Monroe, Marla - Hot and Bothered (Siren Publishing Classic) (24 page)

Then there was the idea in her head to expand the spa. She wanted to enlarge it and take over the empty building next door to her. She would add more specialists and expand the products she sold. Her small business loan would be paid for next month, and she could think about another loan. The idea both excited her and frightened her. Maybe she was asking for more than she had a right to. She was paying her bills just fine. She didn’t want for anything really.

So why take a chance? Because she wanted to be the best spa in the city. Right now, she was a little no-name spa. Being known for her specialized care and
the
place women went to pamper themselves and know that they were going to be well cared for. Yes, she wanted to grow but not lose sight of the personal attention she made sure each of her clients received.

Savanna drew in a deep breath then slowly let it out through her nose. She needed to relax for a little while. She loved Ben and Karen to death, but right now, being around them meant dealing with all the stress in the air. She let the warm water soothe her and the gentle smell of the salts relax her. She was just about out when her cell phone rang. She nearly knocked it into the tub trying to answer it.

“Hello?” Her voice cracked.

“Savanna. Are you all right?” It was Dustin.

“Yes, I’m fine. I was relaxing in the tub and the phone startled me is all.”

“I’m sorry. Do you want to call me back after your bath?”

“No. I mean, I can talk now.”

“I’m planning to be back late tomorrow afternoon sometime. Hopefully around six.”

Savanna smiled. “That would be great. I miss you.”

“I miss you, too.” He cleared his throat. “Is everything okay there?”

“Yes. I had dinner with Ben and Karen tonight. They seem to be working things out for the most part.”

“That’s good. Maybe next weekend we could all go out to eat, and then maybe go dancing.” He sounded tired, she decided.

“I’d like that. I’m sure they would, too. Is everything working out okay there?” She wasn’t sure if she should ask, but she wanted to know what was going on.

“It’s going about as well as I expected. I’ll be glad to get back home, though.”

“I’ll be glad for you to be home.”

“I better let you go so you can finish your bath before the water cools. I don’t want you to catch pneumonia.” Dustin’s voice sounded strained.

“Are you sure everything is fine? You sound…different.”

“Hell, I’m horny, baby. Thinking about you in the tub naked and wet has me hard as a rock.”

Savanna grinned but tried not to let it show in her response. “Oh, I didn’t realize.”

“Finish your bath, and I’ll be home as soon as I can get there. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Dustin.”

They hung up, and Savanna felt better than she had. He missed her. Even if there had been another woman, she was history now. He wouldn’t need her. He had Savanna.

* * * *

Saturday morning, Karen and Savanna met at a coffee shop near where Karen worked. They sipped coffee and ate Danish as they discussed their strategy. It was a beautiful day, though still a bit cool for May.

“I’ll go on in to work and call you when I know he isn’t coming in. If he were to come in while we are there, you’re just trying to get me to finish up so we can go shopping.” Karen licked her thumb.

“That sounds good to me. Once we get set up with you going into his office, I’ll watch for him and let you know if he gets off the elevator. You’re sure I can see them from your office? I don’t remember being able to,” Savanna said.

“You can if you’re sitting at my desk. You’ll have to sit there. We’ll keep the phones on until I’m out.” Karen sipped her coffee.

Both of them had Bluetooth earpieces, so it would leave both of their hands free. Martin’s office was next door to hers. The bathrooms were further down the hall. If Martin came in and Savanna warned Karen, then Karen could leave his office and come back from the bathroom. They had everything planned, they were sure. Still, Savanna was nervous. She had never wanted to be a spy when she was young. She had just wanted a family and security.

She was going to have that now. Maybe she would be the breadwinner, but he knew how to take care of her, and that mattered, too. They just had reversed roles.

“Savanna? Are you with me?” Karen asked.

“Sorry, thinking about something else.”

“More like someone else by the look on your face.” Karen toasted her with her coffee cup.

“Well, he is coming back today. I can’t help it,” she said. She couldn’t help the grin on her face. She was excited.

“Just keep your mind on business.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be all about that bank of elevators.”

They finished their coffee and each went to work. Karen would call Savanna when the coast was clear. Until then, she would be at the spa keeping busy but not doing anything she couldn’t drop and run. Karen let her know as soon as she made it to her office and would only call again when it was time. Savanna drifted from room to room making sure everyone was doing all right and had everything they needed.

When lunchtime came and she hadn’t heard from Karen, Savanna got worried. She gave her until one and then called to check on her. Martin was working and hadn’t appeared ready to leave anytime soon. Karen worried he wouldn’t leave until the building closed.

“Then we’ll try tomorrow. Don’t stress over this right now. You have to keep your head,” Savanna told her.

“I know. I’m trying. Look, I better go. I’ll call if anything changes.” Karen hung up, and Savanna was left feeling just as worried as she was before she called.

At four o’clock, Martin was still at the office. Karen called her and told her she was leaving to go home.

“Ben is threatening to come up here if I don’t go home. I’ll have to try tomorrow. Surely he won’t work on a Sunday.”

Savanna huffed out a breath. “Let’s hope not. Call me when you get ready to go tomorrow, and I’ll meet you there.”

“I will. I figure around eleven would be a good time. Martin is usually at church on Sundays,” Karen said. “I’ll call you around nine thirty or ten.”

Savanna agreed and hung up. It was close to time for Dustin to make it back to town. She conferred with Irene on closing up and left for the day. She wanted a shower and to change clothes before Dustin called. If he wasn’t early, she had just enough time to wash her hair and dry it.

Her mind wouldn’t quit turning and churning as she fixed her hair and dressed. Between Karen and the Martin problem and her and Dustin, she couldn’t relax. Every little noise in the apartment caused her to jump. She realized she was nervous about whatever it was that Dustin had to tell her. She checked the clock by the bed. It was ten after six. He hadn’t called yet. Well, traffic on a Saturday night would be brutal. He would call if it were going to be much later.

She settled down on the couch with a glass of wine to wait. At some point, she fell asleep because her phone woke her. She scrambled to get to it before it went to voice mail.

“Hello?”

“Savanna? Hey, I’m about thirty minutes out. I’m sorry, baby, but the plane was delayed. I’ve been circling the airport for the last hour or so.”

“Airport? You flew out of town?”

“Yeah. I should be there in about thirty minutes. Will you wait up?”

Savanna focused on her watch. It was nearly nine at night.

“Yes. I’m awake. I’ll be here.” With more questions, she realized.

“I’ll see you soon.” He hung up.

Savanna rubbed her face and picked up her wineglass to take it to the kitchen. What was he doing flying? She thought he drove a truck. She was very confused now. Nothing was as it seemed. Dustin had a lot to explain as far as she was concerned.

Nearly an hour later, there was a knock at the door. Savanna checked the peephole and unlocked the door to let Dustin in. He had a suitcase in one hand and a briefcase in the other. She backed up and let him in, then closed and locked the doors. A briefcase?

He dropped both the suitcase and the briefcase and pulled her into his arms. He hugged her tight against him. She felt him nuzzle aside her hair and bury his face against her neck. He acted like a man starved for attention. She held him tighter and enjoyed his arms around her.

“I missed you,” he said. His hands moved up and down her back.

“I missed you, too.” Savanna pulled back and looked up at him. He looked exhausted.

Before she could ask anything, he bent his head and kissed her. It started out as a soft, gentle kiss but grew into something fierce and needy. His mouth ate at hers until she was breathless and wanting. He cupped the back of her head and angled her mouth to his advantage. He deepened the kiss. His other hand caressed the side of her face. When he finally drew back, Savanna felt bereft without him. She needed his touch and his kiss now.

Something deep inside her took over. She wanted him. She didn’t want to wait. She pulled him back down to her and nipped at his lower lip then drew it in to suck at it. He groaned and backed her up against the door. She ran her hands through his hair, down his back, digging her claws into him. He ran his hands beneath the light sweater she had on and massaged the skin of her abdomen.

She brought her hands back around and began unbuttoning his shirt. The buttons weren’t cooperating, so she tore at the shirt. Buttons scattered across the floor. He let go of her long enough to let the shirt slip down his arms. It hung at the waistband of his pants where it was still tucked in. Dustin slid his hands back beneath her sweater and dragged it up and over her head. She had to raise her arms to allow him to pull it the rest of the way off. He dropped it to the floor.

He fiddled with the front catch of her bra and peeled back the cups as she shimmied it off her shoulders. His hands immediately cupped her breasts. He groaned and buried his face between them. Savanna ran her hands up his chest, raking her nails along the skin. When he nipped at her breast, she shivered and moaned. The waistband of his pants was in her way. She unfastened the button at the top and pulled the zipper to his slacks down. Without even waiting to remove his pants, she slid her hand inside his underwear and found the hard length of him with her hand.

Dustin dropped his forehead against hers when she closed her hand around his swollen member. She wanted him hard and fast. She tried to unfasten her jeans with one hand while she squeezed and manipulated his hard cock with the other one.

“Slow down,” he managed to say. “We still need to talk.”

“Later.” She was near tears she was so hot for him.

He moved her hand aside and unzipped her jeans for her. She had to let go of him to shimmy out of them, and she had to toe off her shoes to step out of them. She had both hands free now to pull his pants down. He couldn’t step out of his pants with his shoes on. She dropped to her knees in frustration and untied his laces so he could slip out of his shoes. Savanna looked up from where she sat on her knees and found his cock standing out hard and long just above her.

It was too tempting to ignore. She took hold of him at the base with one hand and cupped his balls with the other. Their eyes met. She held them as she slowly covered him with her mouth and swallowed him down. She watched his eyes close as his head fell back. Savanna ran her tongue around the mushroom cap before swallowing him down again. His balls drew up in her hand. She rolled them gently then raked her nails along them. He went up on his tiptoes for a second. She loved having such power over him.

Dustin’s cock seemed to grow longer and thicker in her mouth. She kept one hand wrapped around the base of him to keep from choking herself. She sucked him hard and fast then slow and easy. He grabbed her head and held her still as he pumped into her mouth. She kept her hand in place and let him direct her. She wanted to feel him come in her mouth, but he seemed to have other ideas. He groaned and pulled free of her mouth with an audible pop.